Debunk Magnetic Therapy and water cluster experiment

[Delzac]

Recently when to a magnetic therapy seminar where they did experiment to proof the " beneficial" effects of it. These are some of the demonstration.

First demonstration, Salt test.

They place common table salt on a magnetic blanket and some on a normal plate. They say that the magnetic field will " break down" the salt and make the salt less salty. So I tasted it and indeed the one on the magnetic blanket taste less salty. I tried to get as equal an amount of salt as possible for the tasting. Couldn't explain how it happened.

Second demonstration, Coke test.

They open 2 can of coke. Place one on a magnetic blanket the other on nothing. And you know the results. The one the blanket taste less sweet. Couldn't explain this also.

The next crackpot product they were selling is some water that supposedly was smaller water cluster that our tap water. Never mind if water cluster don't exist in tap water.

The demonstration they did was the " Teabag Experiment"

They took tap water and their water, pour it into 2 glasses. Place a Teabag( The brand's Lipton) in each of the glasses. The one with smaller water cluster got colourised first, significantly faster than tap water. So they say that the smaller water cluster in their water is better as it will get absorbed into the body more easily. I couldn't explain how this works also.

Debunk please.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Recently when to a magnetic therapy seminar where they did experiment to proof the " beneficial" effects of it. These are some of the demonstration.

First demonstration, Salt test.

They place common table salt on a magnetic blanket and some on a normal plate. They say that the magnetic field will " break down" the salt and make the salt less salty. So I tasted it and indeed the one on the magnetic blanket taste less salty. I tried to get as equal an amount of salt as possible for the tasting. Couldn't explain how it happened.

A subjective taste test is not a valid test. Also, maybe they used something other than straight salt on the magnetic blanket.

Second demonstration, Coke test.

They open 2 can of coke. Place one on a magnetic blanket the other on nothing. And you know the results. The one the blanket taste less sweet. Couldn't explain this also.

Again, this is subjective. And again, could they have pulled a fast one and cheated?

The next crackpot product they were selling is some water that supposedly was smaller water cluster that our tap water. Never mind if water cluster don't exist in tap water.

The demonstration they did was the " Teabag Experiment"

They took tap water and their water, pour it into 2 glasses. Place a Teabag( The brand's Lipton) in each of the glasses. The one with smaller water cluster got colourised first, significantly faster than tap water. So they say that the smaller water cluster in their water is better as it will get absorbed into the body more easily. I couldn't explain how this works also.

They may have used something like a surfactant in "their" water.

These all seem like nothing more than cheesy tricks and perhaps a bit of the power of suggestion.

 

[Delzac]

For the magnetic demonstration, all of the people tasted both the coke and salt and came to the same conclusion. The could have cheated for the salt, since i didn't witness them using the same salt for the blanket and the plate. But the coke don't seem to be cheat-able. Since it is opened from 2 sealed cans.

The water they are promoting is called " Cal Ion Water". It has a disgusting high level of ca2+ ions in it. 22mg for 600 ml if i remember correctly. The amount of sodium is also of similar concentration. Maybe this is where the problem lies?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have no doubt that these are all just tricks, but for the sake of your own curiosity, they sound easy enough to duplicate and test with friends. Just be sure to do at least a blind taste test where only you know which ones were subjected to the magnet. Better yet, have a third party involved and do a double-blind test. I am sure that the mystery will evaporate.

 

[dst]

For the magnetic demonstration, all of the people tasted both the coke and salt and came to the same conclusion. The could have cheated for the salt, since i didn't witness them using the same salt for the blanket and the plate. But the coke don't seem to be cheat-able. Since it is opened from 2 sealed cans.

The water they are promoting is called " Cal Ion Water". It has a disgusting high level of ca2+ ions in it. 22mg for 600 ml if i remember correctly. The amount of sodium is also of similar concentration. Maybe this is where the problem lies?

It reminds me of penta-water. Bad science used to promote equally bad products. Pay no attention. And yes, the effects would come from the ions, not from the "smaller clusters". Want smaller clusters? Drink steam.

Try taking the "normal salt" and placing it on the magnetic blanket.

 

[Delzac]

But how do the Ions in the water create such a effect? That is what puzzles me.

 

[bassplayer142]

Which ones did he let you try first. Maybe it has something to do with your taste buds. If you taste the saltier one first then maybe if you tasted it again it wouldn't seem as salty if you tried it again. If you test it then try both ways, first taste the saltier and then taste the salty, then taste the salty and then the saltier one.

 

[Evo]

You have to doubt any taste test where you are told which product has a certain taste, you are planting the idea in their mind.

It would have to be a blind taste test and you could not tell the testers what it is they are looking for. Even then, taste varies so much from person to person, it's not conclusive. I'll bet given two random samples of salt, there would be no consensus of what, if anything, was different.

The test is about as fixed as you can get.

 

[PlasmaSphere]

Probably another alternative therapy that can be explained by the placebo effect. If you can make someone believe that the therapy they are getting is highly benficial, the chances are it will be. Thats basically how homeopathy works.

However, i would be interested if they came up with a physical process to pin this down to. Like if they could show that magnets can effect the alignment of magnetite in our blood, and so cause some type of benefit. Now that would be interesting. But this area looks purely subjective at the moment.